Show Me Christmas

It seems that after each holiday season, I walk away with a new tradition to try next year. This Christmas, I was fortunate enough to host my elderly grandmother in my home. Grandma grew up in Poland before immigrating to the U.S. as a teenager. She pushed for my mother to become an American girl, but did not eradicate her home of Polish traditions, like baking traditional Polish treats for the holidays.

As I was packing up the Christmas tree ornaments, I noticed two little dolls that I hadn’t seen before. I asked my grandma if she had put them on the tree, and she replied that she had and that they were a gift for me. They are Polish Christmas ornaments, hand-crafted and hand-painted to look like dancers wearing traditional Polish costumes. My grandmother had hung them on her tree as a child in Poland and was pleased to have them hang now in her granddaughter’s home.

The art of glass blowing has been around since the middle of the last century BC. This artistic, glass-forming technique involves inflating molten glass into a bubble with the aid of a blowpipe. This process utilizes the liquid structure of the molten glass; the atoms of the liquid glass matter are held together by string chemical bonds in an unorganized and random network, therefore, the glass is viscous enough to be blown, gradually hardening as it loses heat.

A person who blows glass may be referred to as a glassblower, a glassmith or a gaffer. The end product of glass blowing can yield all kinds of different, unique and beautifully crafted glass décor. Hand blown glass ornaments are a favorite among gaffers as well as flower vases, serving bowls, artistic décor and lighting fixtures. Each of these creations has the capacity to incorporate multiple vibrant colors and patterns.

Some people can’t function in the morning without a cup of coffee. For me, tea is my addiction. I’m not partial to one particular brand or another; I truly enjoy trying out different flavors and brews. I’m also a collector of decorative teapots- the more ornate the better!

This Christmas, my kids bought me teapot ornaments by Tannenbaum Treasures. The collectible holiday ornaments are really exquisite. The two inch tall ornaments are handcrafted in Europe and each displays a different theme. My three favorites are the blue bonnet, clover, and silver teapots. Don’t you love it when people actually put consideration into holiday gift giving?

Alice, a close friend of mine from college, has the largest ornament collection I’ve ever seen. This past year she focused on adding ornaments representative of different cities to her collection. She has collected a significant amount from the cities in driving distance form her.

I live across the country from Alice, so as a Christmas present I sent her an ornament painted with the Seattle skyline (and by skyline I really mean the Space Needle). She phoned me as soon as she got the ornament and ecstatically thanked me. Knowing how happy it made her, I’ll have to be on the lookout for other city-theme collectible holiday ornaments.